The Conversation

Workplace age discrimination could become even harder to prove in court

Written by Catherine Harnois, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest University

Over 15,000 workers filed age discrimination claims in 2019.Aleutie/Shutterstock.com

Age discrimination remains one of the greatest vulnerabilities that American workers face.

A 2018 AARP study of adults age 45 and older found that more than 60% said they had seen age discrimination in their workplace or experienced it themselves.

While most...

Just as in coronavirus, young people are key to stopping tuberculosis

Written by Leslie A. Enane, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine

World TB Day awareness rally and skit featuring young people on March 24, 2018 in Mumbai, India. Bachchan Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The world is experiencing a historic pandemic of a novel coronavirus that has completely altered our daily lives and the entire world economy. Younger people experience more mild or moderate infections,...

Religious communities are offering baptism by Zoom – such innovation has deep historical roots

Written by Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

In the German town Winterbach, Catholic Church services are being streamed through YouTube. Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing entire countries to rethink deeply-held social norms. Faith leaders are coming up with new ways to reach their communities, with many turning to online platforms to...

Religious communities are offering baptism by Zoom - such innovation has deep historical roots

Written by Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder

In the German town Winterbach, Catholic Church services are being streamed through YouTube. Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images

'My first question every time I see a new patient now is: Could this be COVID-19?' A Seattle doctor on the frontlines

Written by Nicholas Johnson, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine & Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (Adjunct), University of Washington School of Medicine, University of Washington

Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WashingtonClare McLean/UW Medicine, Author provided

The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Inside, as usual, patient beds are near capacity, and the emergency department is filled with not only the usual mix of...

With schools everywhere suspended, an education expert answers 4 questions about the upheaval

Written by Jon Pedersen, Dean of the College of Education, University of South Carolina

Millions of American kids are logging into class from home.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Most of the school systems that shut their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak initially said these closures would be temporary. But health authorities warn that Americans may need to keep up their social distancing for months. Jon Pedersen, dean...

Fleeing from the coronavirus is dangerous for you, the people you encounter along the way and wherever you end up

Written by Rebecca S.B. Fischer, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Texas A&M University

Traveling is risky during the coronavirus outbreak. Places like airports, bus stops, and gas stations especially so. AP Photo/Joeal Calupitan

COVID-19 is affecting life in nearly every corner of the globe. Public health officials are heavily relying on two community interventions to curb the pandemic spread: social distancing and restricted travel....

Students could be undercounted in the census as coronavirus closes colleges – here's why that matters

Written by Dudley L. Poston, Jr., Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University

Howard University students moving out of dorms in Washington.Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

At college dormitories and student apartments across the U.S., census forms will be piling up – but many run the risk of not being filled in.

The spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. has coincided with the start of data collection for the 2020 census.

This...

How do we protect ourselves at home during coronavirus, and what if someone has been exposed? 4 questions answered

Written by Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Erica Cisneros helps her daughters, Emilia and Eden, with their schoolwork at their home on March 18, 2020 in San Anselmo, California. Getty Images/Ezra Shaw

Editor’s note: As coronavirus spreads through the country, states have closed schools and nonessential businesses and prohibited group gatherings. This leaves most of us at home, but...

How one federal agency took care of its workers during the yellow fever pandemic in the 1790s

Written by Julia Mansfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, St. Joseph's University

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, at a Senate GOP lunch meeting on March 20, 2020, to discuss the 'phase 3' coronavirus stimulus bill. Getty/ Drew Angerer

U.S. lawmakers are debating strategies to stem the economic impact of the coronavirus. With businesses across the country cutting back hours or closing, the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of...